The Last Bookshop in London

February 1, 2021
In August 1939, with war looming, Grace Bennett and her friend Viv follow their dreams to London. Ensconced in the home of a family friend, the pair set off to find jobs. Viv lands at Harrods, but Grace must settle for a dreary-looking bookshop called Primrose Hill, where the dust-covered offerings are maintained by the grumpy Mr. Evans. Grace isn't a reader, but that changes quickly when a handsome RAF officer recommends The Count of Monte Cristo. After subduing the dust and moving on to the haphazardly organized shelves--all the while powering through Jane Austen--Grace is shaping up nicely as a bookseller until war is declared, with the quiet of the Phony War gradually giving way to the Blitz. Martin capably portrays the horror of nightly bombings, but where she really shines is in depicting Grace's rebirth as a reader, which parallels her growth as a readers' advisor and book-club leader, her nightly readings providing welcome respite to the shell-shocked locals. This engaging mix of books, romance, and war is not without tragedy, but the unapologetically uplifting ending will find booklovers wiping away a tear or two.

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April 23, 2021

Grace and Viv, two young women from Norfolk, travel to London on the eve of World War II to lodge with Mrs. Weatherford, the best friend of Grace's mother. Viv is hopeful of a job at Harrods; Grace doesn't have proper references, so she must content herself with a job at the local shop Primrose Hill Books (although she's not much of a reader). Primrose Hill's owner, Mr. Evans, grudgingly hires Grace at Mrs. Weatherford's behest. Mr. Evans sets out some conditions: Grace may stay for only six months, after which he will provide her with references and she can seek employment elsewhere. He didn't count on Grace's entrepreneurial and community spirit, or the imminent war, or people's insatiable need for words and stories during hard times. Grace's first task is to make effective blackout curtains for the shop, as the war and air raids begin. Decency prevails in Martin's (Borderland Ladies) historically accurate book, despite the horrors of the London Blitz, which Grace, as an air raid warden, witnesses firsthand. VERDICT During times of crisis, who can deny the comfort of books and reading? Deftly written, and testament to survival in a challenging time, this book is a soothing and reassuring read.--Penelope J.M. Klein, Edinburgh, Scotland

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